Multiple chamber bottle with diagonal division(s) achieving curvilinear surface division(s)

ABSTRACT

A diagonally divided bottle is disclosed, wherein the bottle includes at least two bottle sections separately formed, each bottle section including a bottom wall and outer wall extending therefrom defining a chamber. At least one portion of the outer wall of each bottle section has a portion adapted to mate with the portion of another bottle section. The mated portions of the bottle sections form at least one common wall. The common wall is arranged at an angle disposed diagonally to a major axis of the bottle when viewed from the top or bottom such that products contained in the chambers of the bottle sections are simultaneously viewed when the diagonally divided bottle is observed from a front.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Utility applicationSer. No. 10/461,149 filed Jun. 13, 2003, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/388,506 filed Jun. 13, 2002 and U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/388,581 filed Jun. 13, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a plastic container. More particularly, to aplastic container including at least one dividing wall to divide thecontainer into at least two bottle chambers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Multichamber containers made of leather, glass, plastic and othermaterials have been manufactured to store and deliver contents such asdifferent liquors, body moisturizing lotions, chemical drain cleaners,two-part epoxies, drugs, food products including condiments, and othercontents which either benefit by being separately dispersed or areactivated at the time of dispersal by mixing.

A dual chambered container disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 284,127 toGruenebaum presented two oppositely inclined necks to obviate the needto raise the flask overly much for the purpose of imbibing its liquorsor wines. However, this design would not stand on a shelf nor besuitable to viscous contents.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,363,064 to Stegath introduced a duplex tube whichpresented the convenience of keeping complementary items such as shavingcream and lotion at hand in one container, in this case a flexiblesqueezable metal tube. The container disclosed by Stegath would not besuitable to storage in an upright position on a shelf, nor is itsuitable for food products due to the strong association of such tubeswith toiletry and medicinal items.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,661,870 to Huenergardt; U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,071 toKuster; U.S. Pat. No. 3,206,074 to Hoffman; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,467,269to Newton present various container designs suitable to displaying andstoring on a shelf. However these containers are unduly complicated andexpensive to manufacturer.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,506,157 to Dukess discloses a closure device to seal amultiple chamber container. The contents stored in the container wouldtend to intermix upon the flat surfaces normal to the prongs. U.S. Pat.No. 3,729,553 to D. Gold et al. is bulky and does not explain by whatmethod the portrayed bottle is to be manufactured. U.S. Pat. No.4,148,417 to Simmons discloses a fluid dispenser having dual chambersformed by a cast molding process or a blow-molding process. However, anadequate method to control the blow-molding of such a dual chamber isnot reliably described.

In traditional blow-molding a plastic material is blown against solidwalls of an encasing metal mold. Typically, to produce a dual chambercontainer with a blow-molding process, two singularly molded halves areformed and glued together. The side-by-side nozzles are bulky, awkward,complex, and inefficient. Containers produced according to this methoddo no achieve a desired aesthetic or marketing appeal. A furtherdisadvantage is a splotchy appearance of glue on the dividing surface.

Another container of the prior art includes two halves of the containermechanically connected and glued together, with one half offset ordisplaced from the other but joined by a common cap. This containerdisplays both ingredients when viewed frontally but sacrifices the senseof unity with two ingredients in one bottle.

Other containers of the prior art are directed to separating ingredientswhile stored, but intermixing the ingredients before dispensing for thepurpose of activating the ingredients. Examples of such ingredientsinclude body lotions, moisturizers, chemical drain cleaners, etc. Oneknown design intermixes mustard and ketchup before dispensing. Theintermixing of the contents often produces an unsavory appearance andloses any aesthetic delight of drawing designs in a dual color stream.

In known dual chamber bottles, a simple utilitarian joining of twohalves has been utilized for such items as drain cleaners and two-partepoxies, or the ingredients and the means of separation are not viewablebecause the outer walls are opaque. Such packaging is not suitable tothe demands of marketing and merchandising in highly competitive or“high-end” areas such as foods and cosmetics. Clearly this is anunaddressed problem when it comes to the real world of selling productsin bottles. The present invention addresses and solves this problem.

In order to dispense the contents, the container should be able to besqueezed. It is understood that a divider in a bottle strengthens thebottle in the planar direction of the divider, making it more difficultto squeeze the bottle in the planar direction. Most bottles for displayon shelves are wider than they are deep. Any division of the bottleperpendicular to the front or back inhibits the squeezing of the bottlebecause the squeezing would most desirably occur in a perpendiculardirection along the divider.

If the known container were such that the front and back halves wereseparated, then one ingredient would not be visible when the bottle wasdisplayed facing front on a shelf. The present invention overcomes thisproblem as well.

Indeed the containment and display of products is a crowded field. Theneed to simultaneously present the contents in dual chamber bottles,such as mustard and ketchup, has long been felt but, despite marketneed, has not previously been met.

Accordingly, the background art has the disadvantages of at least beingunduly complicated in design and costly in manufacture, not beingsuitable to standing on a shelf for display, failing to address thedisplay function of the bottle, or losing the unity of the bottle forthis purpose. An example of an invention which resembles the presentinvention and yet is crucially dissimilar is Flaig, et. al 5,740,947. InFlaig a dual chamber bottle has a non-diagonal dividing wall comprisedof two elements, namely a sinusoidal surface and a flat planar wall Theflat planar portion does not translate to the exterior of the bottle.The flat plane does not achieve a curvilinear intersection with thesurface of the bottle. The shape of the edge of the sinusoidal surfacewholly determines the viewable line of division between the two bottlehalves and not any interaction of this shape with the complexly curvedouter bottle wall. Accordingly the shape and form do not read on thepresent invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention includes a bottle and method for providing the bottle witha diagonal section having a flat plane intersecting the outer walls ofthe bottle (perhaps curved outer walls) such that both containedingredients are visible at once when the bottle is displayed when viewedfrom the front of the bottle. This function or utility is independent ofthe exact shape or design of the bottle and is incident upon andintegral with the method of constructing the bottle.

The invention also includes a bottle and method for providing the bottlewith one or two faces of an inner wall forming a “knife edge” of atapered upper edge of a flat side or sides of the bottle, the edgestanding proud above the circular rim formed by the joining of the twobottle portions. The compression of a twist-on cap or snap-on capagainst this knife-edge forms a seal which keeps the two ingredientsseparate.

The invention also includes a bottle and method for providing the bottlewith a knife-edge standing proud, and a twist-on cap containing twoapertures.

Alternatively, everything above referred to in respect to twoingredients is also applicable to two or more ingredients by use of twoof more sections affixed in a similar manner as will be discussed ingreater detail below.

The invention includes a bottle and method for providing the bottle withbottle cap apertures, the square surface areas of which are proportionedas the corresponding volumetric areas of the bottle so sectioned.

The invention also includes an ergonomically improved flip-cap orientedso that the lip and détente for the flip-cap top is perpendicular to thedivider wall which itself is angled at less than or equal to 90 degreesand approximately 30 degrees to a line dividing the bottle front toback. The flip-cap includes two tapered plugs which snap down into twocorresponding raised apertures in a lower flat undercap, said twotapered plugs affecting a seal and reducing intermixing of ingredientsupon the surface of an undercap.

Alternatively, the invention also includes a twist-on or snap-on spoutor nozzle, of a tapered conical or cylindrical shape, and internallydivided. The spout or nozzle is adapted to be sealed by an end cap, aplug, by helically twisting the “overcap” upon a “scaling rod”, or bysliding upon an internal shaft affecting a seal when screwed or pusheddownwards towards the bottle.

The invention also includes dip-tubes with a dispensing spout whichcrowns a snapped-on cap and functions by depressing the pump-action headconnected to the tubes.

The invention further includes a diagonally divided bottle, comprisingat least two bottle sections separately formed, each bottle sectionhaving a bottom wall and cooperating outer wall extending therefromdefining a chamber. At least one portion of the outer wall of each ofthe bottle sections has a portion adapted to mate with the correspondingportion of another section. The mated portions of the bottle sectionsform at least one common wall. The common wall is diagonally configuredto a plane which is disposed 30 degrees to 70 or 110 to 150 degrees of amajor axis of the bottle viewed from the top or bottom of the bottle.

The portion of the outer wall adapted to mate with the portion ofanother bottle chamber may be substantially flat. Also, the portion ofone bottle section may be convex while the corresponding portion ofanother bottle section is convex. Furthermore, the portion of the outerwalls may extend partly or the whole length of the outer wall of thebottle sections.

The common walls formed by mated portions of the outer walls of thebottle sections are aligned and oriented to form the diagonally dividedbottle such that the contained ingredients are visible simultaneouslywhen the bottle is displayed when viewed from a front of the bottle.This function or utility is independent of the exact shape or design ofthe bottle and is incident upon and integral with the construction ofthe bottle.

The invention also includes a means for orienting and aligningseparately formed bottle chambers for attachment to create thediagonally divided bottle. One means of attachment is at least onestipple on the portion of the outer wall of one chamber section with atleast one corresponding indentation on another bottle section to orientand align the bottle sections.

Another means of attachment is at least one groove on the portion of theouter wall of one bottle section with at least one correspondingprotrusion on another bottle section. The groove and protrusion areadapted to slideably interact to orient and align the bottle sections.

Other means of attachment to be used alone with flat surfaced bottlesections or together with the stiple-indent or groove-protrusionconfigurations are to glue, heat weld, or shrink-wrap the bottlesections together.

Alternatively, everything above referred to in respect to twoingredients is also applicable to two or more ingredients by use of twoor more sections affixed in a similar manner as will be discussed ingreater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in conjunction with the attacheddrawings in which like referenced numerals designate like elements, andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a diagonally divided bottle inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the bottle shown in FIG. 1 taken alongline 2-2 with a flip cap;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the flip cap shown in FIG. 2 in asemi-open position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the flip cap of FIG. 2 in a fully openedposition;

FIG. 6 is a top view partially in section of the diagonally dividedbottle as shown in FIG. 2 with the flip cap in an open position;

FIG. 7 is a top view partially in section of the bottle and flip cap ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a mandrel used in accordance with theembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an exemplary dual chamber blow needledevice used in accordance with the embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a diagonally divided bottle with alabel in accordance with an embodiment of the invention and showing thelabel partially removed;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the diagonally divided bottle of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the diagonally divided bottle as shown in FIG.10;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a diagonally divided bottle inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the diagonally divided bottle as shown in FIG.13;

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the diagonally divided bottle of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a diagonally divided bottle inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a top view of the diagonally divided bottle as shown in FIG.16;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a partially assembled diagonallydivided bottle in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;and

FIG. 19 is an exploded view of a diagonally divided bottle in accordancewith another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a diagonally divided bottle 10 in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The bottle 10 includes an annular outerwall 12, an inner wall 14 and a bottom wall 16. The annular outer wall12 and bottom wall 16 cooperate to form an interior divided by the innerwall 14. The inner wall 14 seals to the outer wall 12, to form a fluidtight seal between the divided interior, and to define separate interiorchambers 18, 20.

The outer wall 12 includes an upstanding mouth 22, having an exteriorthreaded neck 24 for allowing rotational engagement with a cap 40 asshown in FIG. 2. The cap 40 includes interior threads, notches or teethadapted to engage the exterior threads of the neck 24. The mouth 22 hasa rim 26 arranged to seal against a lid or cover for sealing contents inthe interior chambers 18, 20. Although a flip-type cap 40 is shown, itis understood that other cap types can be used as desired.

The inner wall 14 extends from the bottom wall 16, along the outer wall12 at least to the rim 26 of the mouth 22 sufficiently to abut the cap40 and maintain a sealed separation of the interior chambers 18, 20.While not being limited to a particular embodiment, the inner wall 14extends above the mouth 22, standing proud of the rim 26 sufficiently tomake a positive seal with a lid, as will be described in greater detailbelow. While a flat plastic, paper or foil cover may attach to andextend across the rim 26, a screw-on lid or cap, having an integraldepending skirt with matching threads may not seal across the rim 26,forming a gap between an interior underside of the cap, and the mouth.In this situation, the interior wall 14 extends above the rim 26 forabutting the interior underside of the cap to form a seal separating theinterior chambers 18, 20, as will be described in greater detail below.

The bottle 10 includes a flat cover 34 made of a plastic, paper or foilthat extends across the rim 26. The cover 34 attaches to the rim 26around the mouth 22 to form a seal against the rim 26. As can best beseen in FIG. 2, the inner wall 14 extends up to and abuts the cover 34,forming a seal along the abutment that prevents contents of one interiorchamber 18, 20 from spilling over into the other interior chamber 20,18. The cover 34 includes a cover aperture over each interior chamberfor allowing communication to each chamber. In FIG. 2, cover aperture 36allows fluid access from interior chamber 18 outside the bottle 10, andcover aperture 38 allows fluid access from interior chamber 20 tooutside the bottle 10.

The bottle shown in FIG. 2 also includes the cap 40 having an interiorundercap 41 with an integral depending skirt 42. The skirt 42 hasinterior threads, notches or teeth adapted to receive the threads of theneck 24. As can best be seen in FIGS. 2-6, the interior undercap 41includes two top apertures 50, 52, each aperture surrounded by anannular boss 54, 56. In the embodiment shown, the cap 40 is produced bycompression molding, although any conventional production method can beused as desired. The cap 40 includes a pivotally mounted overcap 44having plugs 46, 48 arranged to fit into the inner portion of theannular bosses 54, 56 and top apertures 50, 52. The cap 40 is arrangedto close over the bottle 10 such that the plugs 46, 48, top apertures50, 52 and annular bosses 54, 56 are aligned over the cover apertures36, 38 of the flat cover 34, respectively. Thus, when the cap 40 isopened the apertures of the bottle 10 and the cap 40 cooperate toprovide access to the interior chambers 18, 20, and the productstherein. The cap 40 is one example of a bottle cap assembly for keepingproducts in each chamber separate in the bottle and through theassembly. Bottle caps within the scope of the invention are thus notlimited to the cap 40 discussed herein.

Regarding the cap 40, the two plugs 46, 48 snap down into theircorresponding raised annular bosses, 54, 56 in the undercap thusaffecting a seal and preventing the intermixing of ingredients upon thesurface of the undercap 41. The overcap 44 is joined to the undercap 41by a hinge 43 to accommodate the pressure of the two-plug cap 40. Thehinge 43 may be a butterfly hinge, living hinge, or any other suitablehinge mechanism. However no hinge is required to affect the closure. Inany event the overcap 44 should exceed about 1¼ inches in diameter tomilitate against swallowing by children.

The embodiments exemplified in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 also show adiagonally divided bottle including the ergonomically improved cap 40oriented to include so that the lip and détente for the flip cap isperpendicular to the divider wall 14 which itself is angled atapproximately 30 degrees to a line dividing the bottle front to back;this corresponds to the natural ergonomic position of the thumb of theright hand when the bottle is held by the left hand. Whereas bottle capsare often so positioned they normally appear askew given the visualclues of the bottle, and in this sense do not follow best ergonomicdesign. In one embodiment design the visual clues are congruent with thefunctional design thus improving the ergonomics of use.

One equivalently structured cap 40 for the diagonally divided bottle 10includes a twist-on or snap-on spout or nozzle, of a tapered conicalshape itself internally divided, and sealed either by means of an endcap or plug, by helically twisting its overcap upon a scaling rod, or bysliding upon an internal shaft, affecting a seal when screwed or pusheddownwards towards the bottle 10. In this case, because the nozzle isdivided, two internal spouts, themselves helically shaped, fit throughhelical bores through the overcap as they reach the sealed position.

While not being limited to a particular embodiment, the bottle 10 issomewhat conal and cylindrical in shape, having a wider midsection 28and tapered near the neck 24 and bottom wall 16. The bottle 10 shown inFIG. 1 includes a label 30 on the front of the bottle 10 and a label 32wrapped around the neck for identification of the products inside thebottle 10. The label 30 is attached to the front of the bottle 10 by anadhesive (e.g., glue) and is defined by its outline 31. The bottle 10 iswider along its front and back, than deep along its sides when thebottle is standing on its bottom wall 16. The bottle 10 may also includea label on the back of the bottle for further identification orinformation of the product. The inner wall is shown diagonallyintersecting the bottle so that both products in the bottle can beviewed simultaneously from the front of the bottle. As best shown inFIGS. 2, 6 and 7, the inner wall 14 may be offset from the centrallongitudinal axis of the bottle when more of one product is desired inthe bottle, for example, two thirds ketchup and one third mustard).

In one embodiment, the inner wall 14 is in the bottle 10 when the bottleis formed. Without being limited to a particular theory, a blow-moldingprocess for making the diagonally divided bottle 10 is described in aco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/461,112, filed Jun. 13,2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. In particular, the process is an extrusion blow molding methodthat forms a parison by simultaneously extending plastic around andthrough a special mandril 80 shown in FIG. 8. The mandril 80 includeschannels 82 along its side 84 that pull liquid plastic into a central ornearly central slot 86 that extends across the mandril down to thebottom side 88. The plastic flows out of the mandril both through theslot and around the mandril forming a parison. The formed parison has aninner divider wall or curtain within the parison wall. A split cavitymold closes around the parison with the curtain inside. The split cavitymold is cooled, with chilled water and closed.

After the mold is closed, compressed air is introduced to each side ofthe mold cavity causing the parison to inflate around the inside wall ofthe split cavity mold while suspending the curtain by air inside thecavity. An exemplary dual chamber blow needle device 90 is shown in FIG.9, having a separate needle 92, 94 for each chamber 18, 20. Thisblow-molding step forms the plastic bottle 10 and the bottle is cooled.Once the plastic bottle 10 is cooled, the mold opens and theblow-molding machine ejects the bottle.

Naturally the effect of this design is enhanced by filling a transparentor translucent bottle with ingredients of different colors, however theprecise function of the invention with respect to dispersal and ease ofhandling would pertain even if the ingredients were of the same color orthemselves clear.

The embodiments show a bottle and method for providing the bottle 10with an inner diagonal section, inner wall 14 intersecting the outerwall 12 of the bottle 10 such that both contained ingredients arevisible at once when the bottle is viewed from the front. This functionor utility is independent of the exact shape or design of the bottle andis incident upon and integral with the method of constructing thebottle. In other words, the invention is not limited to any particularbottle shape or design. The aesthetic look of the line of division isachieved using the economical flat planar division method describedherein.

The offset of the inner wall 14 can best be seen in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7.FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the offset inner wall 14, while FIGS. 6and 7 are top views of the bottle 10 showing the offset inner wall 14 asa dashed line 60 across the bottle 10 and flip cap 40. This offset ismost desirable when a seller wants to sell more of a first product inthe bottle than a second product (e.g., more ketchup than mustard). Bothproducts are expelled at a rate that corresponds to the volume of theproduct's respective chamber (e.g., if the products have a 1/3 to 2/3volume ratio, then the first product is expelled half as fast as thesecond product). To help ensure that both chambers empty the productsevenly, so that the amount of both products remaining in the bottlecorresponds with the volume in both chambers (e.g., both products emptyat the same time), the opening of the flip cap 40 can be sized tocorrespond to the thickness of the respective product. For example, ifthe products in both chambers have the same thickness, then the opening52 should be larger than the opening 50. Accordingly, the square surfaceareas of the bottle cap apertures are proportional to the correspondingvolumetric areas of the bottle so sectioned.

FIG. 3 shows a partial section of the bottle 10 wherein the top edge ofthe inner wall forms a knife edge 62 near the mouth 22 of the bottle.While not being limited to a particular embodiment, the top edge extendsbeyond and stands proud above the rim 26 formed by outer wall 12 of thebottle 10. In this embodiment, the compression of the twist-on cap 40 orof an equivalent snap-on cap against this knife-edge 62 forms a seal,which keeps the two ingredients separate.

The embodiment in FIG. 3 is thus different than the embodiment shown inFIG. 2, which includes a cover 34 across the bottle's top circular rim26. In FIG. 2, the top edge of the inner wall extends across the topcircular rim 26 against the cover 34 to form a seal that keeps the twoingredients separate. In FIG. 3, the bottle 10 does not include a flatcover 34, so the inner wall 14 extends beyond the rim 26 to be sealed bycompression of the cap 40.

It is understood that everything above referred to in respect to twoingredients is also applicable to two or more ingredients by use of twoof more sections affixed in a similar manner.

As an alternate approach to the bottle discussed above, two or morebottle sections may be formed separately. The diagonally divided bottlewould include at least two separate bottle sections mated and attachedtogether as described further below. The mated portions of the at leasttwo bottle sections would form a common wall diagonally dividing thebottle.

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 show a diagonally divided bottle 110 in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. The bottle 110 comprises a firstbottle section 112 and a second bottle section 114. Each bottle sectionhas a bottom wall 116 and cooperating outer wall 118 extending therefromdefining a chamber 120. At least one portion 122 of the outer wall 118of each of the bottle sections 112, 114 has a surface adapted to matewith the portion of another bottle section. A common wall 124 is formedbetween the mated portions 122 of the bottle sections 112, 114. Thecommon wall 124 is diagonally configured to a plane 126 tangential to afront 127 of the diagonally divided bottle 110 at an angle 128 extendingbetween 30 degrees and 70 degrees, and 110 degrees and 150 degrees.

The front 127 may be any side of the diagonally divided bottle such thatthe common wall is diagonally configured at an angle extending between30 degrees and 70 degrees, and between 110 and 150 degrees from thefront 127. In addition to meeting the angular limitation of the commonwall, the front 127 must be located in such a manner that the productscontained in the chambers 120 of the bottle sections are simultaneouslyviewed.

The diagonally divided bottle 110 shown in FIGS. 10,11, and 12 isconfigured such that the common wall 124 extends at approximately a 45degree angle from the plane 126 tangential to the front 127. When thediagonally divided bottle 10 is viewed from the front 127 both productscontained in the chambers 120 of the bottle sections 112, 114 aresimultaneously viewed. Furthermore, FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, show adiagonally divided bottle 110 having a cross-sectional shape of an ovalwith a depth greater than the width. However, the diagonally dividedbottle 110 may have any cross-sectional shape so long as the common wall124 made by the bottle sections 112, 114 extends between 30 degrees and70 degrees or 110 degrees and 150 degrees and the products contained inthe chambers 120 of the bottle sections 112, 114 are simultaneouslyviewed.

The portions 122 of the outer walls 118 of the bottle sections 112, 114shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 extend from the bottom wall 116 to beyonda top 132 formed by the remainder of the outer wall 118 to form an edge134 standing proud above a rim 136. The edge 134 is adapted to interactwith a cap (not shown) to form a seal that keeps the products within thechambers 120 of the bottle sections 112, 114 separate. The portions 122of the outer walls 118 of the bottle sections 112, 114 do notnecessarily extend from the bottom wall 116 to beyond a top 32 but mayextend for a portion of the bottle sections 112, 114. Further, the outerwalls 118 may have multiple portions 122 that mate with correspondingportions 118 with unmated or void space in between the mated portions122.

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 show a diagonally divided bottle wherein theportion 122 of the first bottle section 112 is concave while the portion122 of the second bottle section 114 is convex. The concave-convexconfiguration is used because it allows the bottle sections 112, 114 tomate along the substantial entirety of the portions 122 of the bottlesections 112, 114. The portions 122 of the bottle sections 112, 114 arenot limited to a concave-convex configuration but may also besubstantially flat or otherwise configured.

FIG. 10 shows the diagonally divided bottle 110 with the bottle sections112, 114 mated and held together via a label 130. Shrink wrapping, heatwelding, adhesives, or any other appropriate means for holding thebottle sections 112, 114 together may be utilized.

Another embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 issimilar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 except asdescribed below. FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 show a diagonally divided bottle110 further compromising a third bottle section 115. The third bottlesection 115 has two portions 122 adapted to mate with the correspondingportion 122 of the first and second bottle sections 112, 114. A commonwall 124 is formed between the mated portions 122 of the first and thirdbottle sections 112, 115. A second common wall 125 is formed between themated portions 122 of the second and third bottle sections 114, 115. Thecommon walls 124, 125 are both diagonally configured to a plane 126tangential to the front 127 of the diagonally divided bottle 110 at anangle 128 extending between 30 degrees and 70 degrees or 110 degrees and150 degrees. The common walls 124, 125 may be nonparallel as shown inFIGS. 13, 14, and 15 or substantially parallel as shown in FIGS. 16 and17, so long as the products contained in the chambers 120 of the bottlesections 112, 114, 115 of the diagonally divided bottle 110 may besimultaneously viewed when observed from the front 127 by a consumer.

Another embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 18 is similar to theembodiment shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 except as described below. Theportion 122 of the outer wall 118 of the first bottle section 112 has atleast one groove 138. The portion 122 of the outer wall 118 of thesecond bottle section 114 has at least one protrusion 140. The groove138 and protrusion 140 are designed to slidably interact to align thebottle sections 112, 114 for attachment to one another. The groove 138and protrusion 140 may be utilized to hold the bottle sections 112, 114together or the groove 138 and protrusion 140 may be used in combinationwith shrink wrap, heat welding, adhesive, or other suitable means forholding the bottle sections 112, 114 together.

Another embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 19 is similar to theembodiment shown in FIG. 18 except as described below. The portion 122of the outer wall 118 of the first bottle section 112 has at least onestipple 142. The portion 122 of the outer wall 118 of the second bottlesection 114 has at least one stipple 144. The stipple 142 and indent 144are adapted to interact to align the bottle sections 112, 114 forattachment to one another. The stipple 142 and indent 144 may hold thebottle sections 112, 114 together by themselves or in combination withshrinkwrap, heat welding, adhesive, or other suitable means forattachment. Any number of stipples 142 and indents 144 may be utilizedin the embodiment depending on manufacturing considerations such as costand ease of processing.

It is understood that everything above referred to in respect to twoingredients is also applicable to two or more ingredients by use of twoof more bottle sections affixed in a similar manner.

Materials for constructing the various embodiments described herein is ahigh-density polyethylene (HDPE). Alternatively, a low densitypolyethylene (LDPE), PVC, or other similar materials can be used.

In the present invention, the intersection of the complexly curvedexterior by a planar inner wall diagonally oriented with respect to theside-to-side plane of the bottle, achieves an extremely aestheticallyappealing curving line of division between the displayed ingredients.The divided bottle is economically formed and it arises intrinsicallyfrom application of the method regardless of the particular shape of thecomplexly curved bottle. The function of displaying ingredients formarketing purposes, as well as the containment and dispersal of theingredients is thus met in a simple unified bottle design achievinggreat functional and aesthetic appeal.

Any ratio of the two ingredients may be achieved by having the diagonalwall intersect the center of the bottle (when viewed from above) orbeing displaced more or less from this center. This is portrayed in thedrawings. Accordingly even a 50/50 ratio can be displayed with thecurvilinear effect rather than the unremarkable or relatively lessaesthetic display of a bottle split down the middle, right, and left. Inan embodiment the products or ingredients have a ratio offset from 50/50such as a 1/3 to 2/3 ratio.

It should be apparent from the aforementioned description and attacheddrawings that the concept of the present application may be readilyapplied to a variety of embodiments, including those disclosed herein.For example, the diagonally divided bottle may also include dip-tubeswith a dispensing spout that crowns a snapped-on cap and functions bydepressing the pump-action head connected to the tubes, as understood bya skilled artisan. Without further elaboration, the foregoing will sofully illustrate the invention that others may, by applying current orfuture knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under variousconditions of service.

1. A diagonally divided bottle, comprising: at least two bottlesections, each bottle section having an outer wall and a bottom wallwhich cooperate to define a chamber therein, wherein at least a portionof the outer wall of one of the at least two bottle sections is adaptedto mate with at least a portion of the outer wall of an other of the atleast two bottle sections; and a common wall formed by the matedportions of the at least two bottle sections disposed substantiallydiagonally such as 30 degrees to 70 degrees and 110 degrees to 150degrees with respect to a major axis of the bottle viewed from the topor bottom, wherein a product contained in each of the chambers of the atleast two bottle sections is viewable when the diagonally divided bottleis observed from a front; the common wall(s) of a preferentially planarshape intersect with the outer wall of a preferentially complexly curvedshape to form a curvilinear line(s) of intersection; whereby said innerwall(s) upon intersection of said outer wall forms a curved line(s) ofintersection which is not coincident with nor parallel to nor equal to alongitudinal edge or seam of said bottle viewed frontally such that avisually attractive and graceful display of both or multiple ingredientsis simultaneously effected and such that the border(s) between the twoor multiple ingredients is directly mapped onto the surface of thebottle by means of the edge(s) of the dividing wall(s) intersecting thebottle surface.
 2. The diagonally divided bottle of claim 1, wherein thediagonally divided bottle has a greater width than depth.
 3. Thediagonally divided bottle of claim 1, further comprising a labelattached to the at least two bottle sections and arranged such that thelabel holds the mated bottle sections together, the label identifyingthe products contained in each chamber.
 4. The diagonally divided bottleof claim 1, wherein the portion of the outer wall of the at least twobottle sections extends from the bottom wall to beyond a top formed bythe remainder of the outer wall to form an edge standing proud above arim.
 5. The diagonally divided bottle of claim 4, further comprising acap, compression of the cap against the proud edge standing above therim forming a seal that keeps the products within each chamber separate.6. The diagonally divided bottle of claim 1, wherein the at least twobottle sections is a first and a second bottle section and the portionof the outer wall of the first bottle section is concave and the portionof the second bottle section is convex.
 7. The diagonally divided bottleof claim 1, wherein the portion of the outer wall of the at least twobottle sections is substantially flat.
 8. The diagonally divided bottleof claim 1, including a first bottle section, a second bottle section,and a third bottle section, wherein a portion of the outer wall of thethird bottle section is adapted to mate with at least a portion of oneof said first and second bottle sections.
 9. The diagonally dividedbottle of claim 1, including a first bottle section, a second bottlesection, and a third bottle section, wherein the portions of the first,second, and third bottle sections mate to form two common walls.
 10. Thediagonally divided bottle of claim 9, wherein the common walls aresubstantially parallel.
 11. The diagonally divided bottle of claim 1,wherein the at least two bottle sections are assembled using shrinkwrap.
 12. The diagonally divided bottle of claim 1, wherein the at leasttwo bottle sections are heat welded.
 13. The diagonally divided bottleof claim 1, wherein the at least two bottle sections arc glued.
 14. Thediagonally divided bottle of claim 1, wherein the portion of the onebottle section further comprises at least one groove and the portion ofthe other bottle section further comprises at least one protrusionadapted to slideably interact with the at least one groove, and the atleast one groove and at least one protrusion are adapted to connect theat least two bottle sections together.
 15. The diagonally divided bottleof claim 1, wherein the portion of the one bottle section furthercomprises at least one stipple and the portion of the other bottlesection further comprises at least one indent adapted to interact withthe at least one stipple, and the at least one stipple and at least oneindent are adapted to hold the first and second bottle sectionstogether.
 16. A diagonally divided bottle, comprising: a first bottlesection having an outer wall and a bottom wall which cooperate to definea first chamber therein; a second bottle section having an outer walland a bottom wall which cooperate to define a second chamber therein,wherein at least a portion of the outer wall of the first bottle sectionis adapted to mate with at least a portion of the outer wall of thesecond bottle section; the portion of the outer wall of the first bottlesection and the portion of the second bottle section are non-planar suchas concave and convex respectively; and a common wall formed by themated portions of the first and second bottle sections disposedsubstantially diagonally such as 30 degrees to 70 degrees and 110degrees to 150 degrees with respect to a major axis of the bottle viewedfrom the top or bottom, wherein a product contained in each of thechambers of the at least two bottle sections is viewable when thediagonally divided bottle is observed from a front.
 17. A diagonallydivided bottle, comprising: a first bottle section having an outer walland a bottom wall which cooperate to define a first chamber therein; asecond bottle section having an outer wall and a bottom wall whichcooperate to define a first chamber therein; a third bottle sectionhaving an outer wall and a bottom wall which cooperate to define a firstchamber therein, wherein a portion of the outer wall of the first andsecond bottle sections and two portions of the outer wall of the thirdbottle section, each portion adapted to mate with a correspondingportion of an other bottle section; and two common walls formed by themated portions of the first, second, and third bottle sections disposedsubstantially diagonally such as 30 degrees to 70 degrees and 110degrees to 150 degrees with respect to a major axis of the bottle viewedfrom the top or bottom, wherein a product contained in each of thechambers of the first, second, and third sections is viewable when thediagonally divided bottle is observed from a front.
 18. The diagonallydivided bottle of claim 17, wherein the common walls are substantiallyparallel.